Method of making covering material



pl'll 12, 1938. A, B, M|| ER Re. 20,694

METHOD OF MAKING COVERING MATERIAL Original Filed Aug. 51, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. AWG/#M4 BE MILLER.

Hl5 ATTORNEY April 12, 1938. A. BQMILLER METHGD 0F MAKING covRING MATERIAL original Filed Aug. :51, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'HEPA/MM INVEvToR. jr/Manta H5 ATTRNEY Reuma-Apr. 12, 193s UNITED STATES METHOD OF MAKING COVERING MATERIAL Abraham Beck Miller, Newark, Del., assignor to The Parailine Companies, Inc., San Francisco, Calif., a corporation of Delaware Original No. 2,027,744, dated January 14, 1936,

Serial No. 742,288,

August 31, 1934. Application'i'or' reissue June 26, 1937, ,Serial No. 150,620

' 14 Claims.

My invention relates to covering materials, and more particularly to improvements in the decorative values of such materials.

It is among the objects of my invention Ato provide a decorative covering material having a grained surface of striking beauty.

Another object of my invention is to provide a covering material of the character described which is capable of being fabricated in the form of a comparatively thin sheet, adapted for such uses `as wall-paper and other bonded surface coverings, and for purposes, such as wrapping paper, where a thin iiexible sheet material of decorative value is desired.

Another object of my linvention is to provide a method of forming an inlaid design in a very thin coating layer, say in the order of .007 inch thick, so that a covering material may be produced which. including its backing sheet, is of substantially p aper thickness.

Another object of my invention is lto provide such a coating layer which may be formed to embody any desired pattern, or inlaid design, such as for example the beautiful types of inlaid pattern grainings and marblings/ developed in the art of inlaid linoleum.

Another object of my invention is to provide a covering material of the character describedl which is tough and pliable, and which presents a -washable surface. z

' Still another object of my invention is to provide an improved laminated covering structure embodying the decorative coating layer of my invention.

A further object of my invention is to provide a method of manufacturing the coveringvmaterial by a continuous process.

The invention possesses other objects and features of advantage, some of which, with the fore- 40 going, will be set forth in the following description of my invention. It is to be understood that I do not limit myself to this disclosure of species of my invention, as I may adopt variant embodiments thereof within the scope of the claims.

Referring to thedrawings:

'Fig. 1 -is a perspective view showing a type of covering material embodying my invention, portions of the laminated sheet being folded back to illustrate the construction more clearly;

Fig. 2` is an enlarged vertical sectional view of the same:

' Figs 3 and 4 are similar views showing modined forms of the covering material;

-Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the method employed in fabricating the material shown in Figs. `l and 2;

Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view of the material during a stage of the process, showing the peeling operation;

Fig. 7 is another diagrammatic view illustrating a variant form of process embodying the improvements of my invention; and

Fig. 8 is also a diagrammatic view, illustrating v still another form of' process.

In terms ofbroad inclusion, the method of making the covering material embodying my invention comprises preparing a sheet, preferably` of plastic material such as linoleum composition,

l so that it embodies the pattern character desired in the covering material. This sheet is then placed against the surface of a body, such as the side of another sheet, upon which the design is to be imparted, and a bond is formed between the two which exceeds the bonding force between the particles of the plastic sheet. The plastic sheet is then peeled from the body. -During this peeling step the surface portions of the plastic sheet are splitoff and left on the surface oi the body. The surface layer split oi from the plastic sheet is very thin, yet there is sufficient material transferred to carry over the major elementsof the design.

If the design initially formed in the plastic sheet is inlaid, the pattern persists through the sheet, and repeated layers may betaken from the sheet before it is discarded, When the ldecorative layer so transferred is imparted directly to another sheet, the latter may comprise a part, such as the backing sheet, of the final covering material; or, the sheet upon which the decoration is applied may be'transparent, in which case it may form an outer layer overlying the decorative layer. In either case, a coating, either transparent or pigmented, is preferably applied over the decorative layer.

If desired, the decorative layer, after being applied on one sheet, may be transferred to another sheet, the latter comprising a part oi the final covering material. Furthermore, the ilrst transfer may be made to an intermediate body which is in the nature of a metallic drum rather than a sheet, and the decorative layer then transferred from the drum to the nnal sheet.

The decorative layer as it appears in the nal coveringmaterial is of' irregular thickness, by virtue of the method employed in its application, and in some places is so thin as to be translucent, or actually discontinuous. In other places the layer is heavier and opaque, and carries a suilcient amount of the pigmented plastic composition to include the inlaid striaticns of the original pattern. Preferably the layer. underlying the decorative layer is given a backgroundcolor, l so that the ground color is visible through the transparent or translucent areas ofthe decorative layer.

In greater detail, and referring particularlyv 4"tr'ansparent,therefore, I mean to include all degrees A'oiv transparency, from clear transparency to translucency. Coated on the under surface of the transparent sheet 2 is a decorative layer 3. This layer is pigmented and `carries the design configuration, and is preferably of an initially plastic material, s'uch as linoleum composition. The colored components making up the pattern, or grainings, in the` decorative layer I are preferably inlaid in the layer, in the same sense that the colored components of linoleum composition are inlaid in what is known as the inlaid..type of linoleum. The inlaid pattern grainings, such as the beautifulV marblings developed in the art of inlaid linoleum, are preferably employed in the decorative coating 3 of my present covering material.

The decorative 'coating I in my material is comparatively thin, preferablyaveraging about .007 inch thick. It will also be noted that the layer 3 is of irregular thickness, and in some places is so thin as to be translucent, oractually discontinuous. heavier and opaque. While I, have mentioned linoleum composition as being a suitable material for use in the'decorative layer 3, it is understood that other -materials may be used. .This will' be appreciated more clearly as the method, by which the coating layer 3 is applied,'is developed.

As best shown in Fig. 2, the transparent sheet 2, carrying the decorative coating 3, is bonded to abase 4 by means of an adhesive layer i. The adhesive layer i' may be transparent, or it' may contain a pigment. If colored, the layer 6 is` preferably of background coloration, so that the ground-color will be visible through the transparent or translucent areas of the decorative layer l. The backgroundv may be of a plain color or of a design ccnguration. Of course the adhesive layer I may be transparent, and the background coloration provided by the base l.'

The base l may be in the form of a. sheet, and may be of any suitable material, such as paper, cloth or berboard. On the other hand, the base l may be in the-nature ject, such as the like.

The type of adhesive employed in the layer 8 is subject to variation within wide limits. A cement ofthe thermoplastic typefis preferably used. Ordinary rosin suitablyoplasticized, and either deposited from solution or applied hot to the base by means of a scraper or roller, is a suitable adhesive.

a container, piece of furniture, or

In other places the layer` is of a pretabricated ob- Gum-like, natural or syn' thetic resins may be used without a piasticizer. Ordinary linoleum cement may be used,-as may other oil-resin'combinations. The vegetable and animal glues may also be used. If ari asphalt adhesivegis used its natural black color will provide a dark background, when such is desired.

viis also best shown in Fig. 2, the upper surface of the cellophane sheet 2 is provided with a surface coating 1. This outer coating is oi' a transparent waterproof material, such as lacquer, so that the covering is rendered washable, a feature which is highly desirable. Of course the coating 1 may be omitted where the transparent layer 2 has been preprocessed so as to render it waterproof, as in the case of waterproof Cellophane.

The method of forming the thin decorative` layer I onthe Cellophane sheet 2 is illustrated in Fig. 6. I'he rst step is to prepare a sheet l of plastic material, such as uncured linoleum composition. This sheet carries the design desired in the decorative layer 3, and is preferably a sheet of unmatured inlaid linoleum. Many beautiful types of inlaid pattern grainings and marblings have been developed in the art of inlaid linoleum, and are available for the purpose I employ the linoleum composition in my improved covering material. The4 plastic sheet l lis placed against the sheet z and a bond formed between these bodies which exceeds the binding 'force between the particles of the plastic linoleum composition in the sheet i.

I have formed such a bond by placing thesheets under pressure and subjecting them to a temperature of about 200 Frfor about -five seconds. After the bond has been formed the plastic sheet l is .peeled from the sheet 2 being decorated.

l During this peellng'operation -the surface por-- tions of the plastic sheet are split oil.' and retained on the sheet 2in a more or less continuous layer. This layer is very thin, being on an average of about .007 inch thick, but contains sumcient material to carry overthe maior ele.- ments of the design existing in the sheet l. By reason of the fact that the design is inlaid in the sheet 8, and for that reason persists through the lthickness of the sheet, repeated transfers can b made from the same sheet.

back to be reworked into a new sheet.

A pleasing 4texture may be imparted to the'maf terial if the sheet 2 is-placed lagainst a roughened surfacewhen in the press. A convenient way of effecting this roughening is by interposing a sheet ci' fabric, such as 4 oz. Oz'enburg cloth, between the press and the sheet 2. Ot course any other means for providing a roughened surface may be employed. It is. to be understood that vother means, such as an independentadhesive, may be employed for effecting the bond between theplastic sheet B and the sheet 2 being decorated.V

material shown inFigS. 1 and 2 is illustrated diagrammatically in' Fig. 5. The Cellophane sheet 2 and plastic design carrying sheet- 8 are fed to- .gether between a heated drum 9 and pressure belt il. After emerging from this heat press the After a given sheetbegins to lose beauty, however, it is sent lunited sheets are fed forwardly, and promptly' after leaving the press, and while the plasticA sheet is still warm the latter ispeeled from the Cellophane sheet. Subsequent to this peeling operation the Cellophane sheet, now carrying its decorative coating, is passed between a pair of pressure rolls l2 together with the base sheet 4 which had previously had` an adhesive coating applied on its upper surfacey by a suitable device i3, After this laminating operation the composite sheet passes under a coating device i4 and receives the surface coating on its upper surface. By this method a continuous process of manufacturing the covering material is provided.

Instead of the composite covering structure shown in Fig. 2, a marketable covering comprising the first three layers 1, 2 and 3, or even the layers 2 and 3 alone, may be provided. In this case the purchaser may cement the materiai on any suitable base to build up the complete structure. l'The covering material may also be manufactured in the form shown in Fig. 3. In this case the backing for the sheet merely comprises a layer Ii of suitable material, such as paint. The pigment in this paint layer therefore provides the backgroundcolor as did the pigment in the adhesive layer i of the structure shown in Fig. 2.

Still another form of material is shown in Fig. 4. In this-case the decorative layer l1 is formed directly on a base sheet i3, such as paper. In the process of making this type of Vcovering material the paper base sheet l1 is bonded with the plastic sheet, so that when the plastic sheet is peeled off the material split ofi' is left on the base sheet. The color of the paper comprising the base sheet may be employed for the background color, or the sheet may be given a surface coloring before the decorative layer is applied. A surface coating i9 of suitable waterproof material. such as lacquer, is preferably provided to form a washable covering material. AAs illustrated in Fig. 4, the surface coating I9 tends 'to follow somewhat the surface contour of the irregular' layer i1. This irregularity of surface tends to promote rather than detract from the beauty of the covering material. While the enlarged view shown in Fig. 4 gives the impression of material thickness, it is to be understood that the actual covering material does not exceed ordinary writing paper thickness. This type of covering provides an ideal wall-paper.

Fig. 7 illustrates diagrammatically a variant form of method embodying the improvements of my invention. In this method a temporary transfer sheet 2l of any suitable material, such as cellophane, is bonded to a plastic sheet 22, such as linoleum composition, by pressing the two together in a suitable heat press 23, following which the linoleum composition is peeled from the Cellophane sheet, leaving a portion of the composition on the latter sheet. These steps of the proccss are similar to those of the method described in connection with Fig. 5. After the-rst peeling operation the Ccllophane sheet 2l carrying the decorative coating is pressed against another sheet 24 in a second press 26. The latter sheet comprises a part, such as the base sheet, of the final covering, and may be of any suitable material, such as paper.

Prior to entering the press 26, the sheet 24.15 preferably given an adhesive coating by a suitable device 2-1.l The-purpose of this adhesive is to provide a stronger bond with the decorative coating on the Cellophane sheet than that existing between the decorative layer and the Cellophane. Any suitable adhesive may be used, such as an oleo`resinous composition, or a vegetable or animal glue. After the sheets have been pressed together in the press 25 the Cellophane sheet 2l is peeled from the base sheet 24, leaving the decorative coating on the latter sheet.

In order to assist in this transfer of the decoraytive coating from the Cellophane sheet to the base sheet, means are preferably provided for loosening the bond between the decorative coating and the Cellophane sheet. A convenient way of doing this is to provide a suitable device 23 for moistening theCellophane. The application of heat, or the use of solvents, may be employed to eifect'the loosening. depending upon the character of the sheets and the type of adhesive used. In this' process it will be noted that the Cellophane sheet 2l does not comprise a part of the final covering material, but merely operates as a carrier or transfer Vsheet during the process, The double transfer process just described is important because the final decorative coating has a character different from that of theoriginal pickoi, and enables making a product of the type of Fig. 4 with a smoother surface on layer i1 when such is desirable. This change comes about due to the second pressing operation and the'subsequent transfer from one she'et to another. l

A variation. of the above process is illustrated diagrammatically in Fig. 8, in which the decorative layer of plastic composition is transferred by a drum 3| instead of by van intermediate sheet. The plastic sheet 32 is shown pressed against the heated drum 3l by a suitable pressure belt 32.

After passing between the drum and belt the plastic sheet is peeled from the drum, leaving thereon a rthin layer of the plastic composition.

After -the piastic sheet 32 has been peeled oi.-

a second sheet 34, having greater adhesive propertiesthan the transfer drum is fed into engagement with the coated drum and pressed thereagainst bya second pressure belt 36. As the sheet 34 leaves the transfer drum 3| it carries with it the layer of plastic composition which had been picked oi from the parent sheet 32 by the drum. The sheet 34 upon which the `decorative coating is finally deposited may be of any suitable material, such as paper, and may be treated, prior to its contact with the drum, with a suitable cementitious material to promote its adhesive properties.

I claim:

l. The steps in the method of making a covering material which comprise placing a` preformed sheet against the surface of a body. forming a bond between the sheet and body which exceeds the bonding between the particles of the sheet. and then peeling the sheet from the body so that surface portions comprising an integral part of the sheet are split of'fv and retained on the surface of said body.

2. The steps in the method of making a cover ing material which comprise placing a preformed plastic sheet against the surface of a body, applying heat and pressure to form a bond between the sheet and Abody whichv exceeds the bonding y between the particles of the sheet, and then peelthen peeling the sheet from the body so that sur-- face portions comprising an integral part of the sheet areV split olf and retained on the surface of said body.

4. The steps in the method of making a covering material which comprise placing a. preformed plastic sheet embodying an inlaid design against the surface of a body, applying heat and pressure to form a bond between the sheet andbody which exceeds the bonding between the particles of the sheet, and then peeling the sheet from the body so that surface portions comprising an integral part of the sheet are split ofi' and retained on the surface of said body.

5. The steps in the method of making a covering material which comprise placing a preformed .sheet against the surface of a bodys forming a bond between the sheet and body which exceeds the bonding between the particles oi' the sheet. then peeling the sheet from the body so that surface portions comprising an integral part of the sheet are split oil and retained on the surface of said body, placing another sheet against said body. sheet and said portions of the first sheet which exceeds the bonding between said portions and the body, and then` stripping the second mentioned sheet from the bociyto transfer the portions ofthe first sheet to said second mentioned sheet.

' 6. The method of forming a decorative coating on a sheet, which comprises placing a preformed plastic sheet embodying an iniaid design against the sheet to be decorated, forming' o bond between the sheets which exceeds that oetween the particles of the plastic' sheet, and then peeling the plastic sheet from the one being decorated so that surface portions of the plastic sheet are split off and retained on the Surface of the sheet being decorated to impart thereto a pattern characterizing the design inlaid in the plastic sheet.

' '7, The steps in the method ci a covering material. which comprise placing a sheet of uncored iinoleum against the surface of a body, pressing the iinoieum against the body to form a bond therebetween which exceeds the bondingA Vbetween the particles of llnoleum composition, arial then peeling the sheet from the body so that a surface film of linoleum is split off and retained as a coating on the surface of the body.-

8 *."fhe method of for decorative substance to one side of a carrier sheet composed of Cellophane, laminating said one-.

the carrier sheet from said surface to eifect a transfer o1' said substance thereto.

9. 'I'he method of forming a decoration on a sheet-of paper, which comprises applying a design of a pigmented decorative substance to one side o! a carrier sheet composed of cellophane,

forming a bond between the lattering a decoration on a surface, which comprises applying a pigmented laminating said one side of the carrier sheet to a sheet-of paper by a pigmented coating of an adhesive substance, wetting the other side of said carrier sheet, and peeling the wet carrier sheet from said paper to effect a transfer of. said decorative substance and adhesive substance thereto.

10. The method of forming a decoration on a surface, which comprises applying a decorative substance to one side of a carrier sheet composed of cellophane, laminating said one side oi' the i carrier sheet to a surface tobe decorated, treating the opposite side of said carrier sheet 'with a fluid which will weaken the bond between' the carrier sheetand said decorative substance and peelingthe carrier sheet from said surface to eect a transfer of said decorative substance thereto.

1l. 'I'he method of forming a'decoration on a sheet of paper, which comprises .contacting one side of a carrier sheet composed of Ceilophane with a surface having disposed thereon a decorativesubstance in the form of a design. removing said carrier sheet from Contact with said surface to effect a transfer ot said decorative substance to said carrier sheet, iaminatingsaid one side of the carrier sheetand `said decorativesubstance to a fibrous material to be'decoratedby a pigmented adhesive coating, wetting the other side of said carrier sheet, andpeeling'the wet carrier sheet from said brous material to eiect a transfer of said decorative substance and od- `i'icsive coating thereto. 12. The method of forming a decorative coating on a sheet, which comprises placing a pre@ formed sheet against the surface ci a torming a bond between this sheet body which exceeds the bonding between the particles o! the sheet, pulling thel sheet from the so that surface portions comprising an integral part of the sheet are split oi `and retained on the surface of the body, laminating saidloody to (a surface to be decorated by an adhesive coating, and pulling said 'oo-:ly from said surface and said particles to' edect a transfer oi the iatter to said surface.

' 13. The method of decorating a surface, which comprises producing a laminated structure having a surface to be decorated adhesively secured to a sheet of cellophane and a design between said sheet of Ceilophane and said surface, wetting the outer portion oi said Ceilophane, and stripping the Ce-llophane from said surface to leave said adhesive and design on the iatter.

14. The method of decorating a brous material, which 'comprises producing a laminated structure having' said brous material adhesively secured to a sheet of Cellophane and a designv ABRAHAM BECK mma, 

